


Heaven's Song

by rubylily



Category: Angel Dust
Genre: Backstory, F/F, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-21
Updated: 2013-11-21
Packaged: 2018-01-02 06:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1053804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seraph and her songstress, and the story of their peaceful days before the end of the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heaven's Song

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for ladiesbingo, with backstory as the prompt.

Seraph flew across the clear ocean, toward Eden, one of the few remaining human settlements. She had heard stories of what Earth was like before the Second Era, before it had became almost entirely covered in water, when the Project Eden Facility had simply been a concept.

A time before Emulates had existed.

She landed on the balcony of a large building with a classical aesthetic - stone pillars and vaulted arches. Information concerning the world before the Second Era was scarce, and it had become a fad to emulate the few images that still existed. But Seraph cared little about that; she simply wanted to see a certain person.

The songstress, the one with the rank of the heavens, leaned against the railing of the balcony, staring at the twilight-colored water. "Hello, Seraph," she greeted, turning to face Seraph. "You've been flying more often lately. Is something the matter? Are you restless?"

"It's not that," Seraph replied, approaching the songstress. "But I do still wonder why you entered into a contract with me when you do not wish to participate in the combat. If you wished for a companion, then an Emulate with the hierarchy code of Angel may be better suited for you than I am."

"But it is only those with the rank of Seraph who can merge with others on a molecular level, right?"

"Yes, that is true."

The songstress was silent for a few moments. "I've told you this before, but I was drawn to you," she finally said. "There is a legend I heard often when I was younger. A unique Emulate, one who was outside the traditional hierarchy, fell in love with a 'human of destiny.' It's a wonderful story, isn't it? Two kindred spirits come together…"

"I have heard that story before, but there is no evidence that it is anything more than a myth," Seraph explained. "Angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, dominions, thrones, cherubs, and seraphs - all our ranks in the hierarchy of Emulates have their own purposes. An Emulate must fall into one of those ranks to have a reason for their existence."

The songstress laughed. "Seraph, you never change. You're always so serious. You have lived for such a long time, haven't you?"

Seraph nodded. "Yes, and I have had many masters over the course of my existence. Because I was the first Emulate able to fully integrate with a human being, I was the first one given the hierarchy code of 'Seraph."'

"Is that why you don't have a proper name like the other Emulates do?"

"I am the first 'Seraph.' I need no other identity."

The songstress walked up to Seraph and touched her shoulders. "I remember how surprised people were when I made a contract with you," she mused, cupping Seraph's face. "They wondered why a songstress would want the most powerful Emulate. But the answer is simple: I need you."

Seraph smiled. "Emulates exist for human beings, after all."

The songstress kissed her. "Let's fly together, Seraph."

The two became one, and then took off to the skies above.

* * *

Years passed, and Seraph remained by the songstress' side. It was unusual for an Emulate to stay with a single person for so long, but not unheard of, especially for ones of Seraph's rank. The more time she spent with the songstress, the less she battled, but she also grew less restless and more content. There were still those who criticized the songstress for "wasting" Seraph's talents, but she had once told Seraph there were certain privileges afforded to the one with the title of the songstress of the heavens.

One clear night they spent in the simmering gardens, and Seraph rested her head in the songstress' lap as they gazed at the stars. Soon the songstress began to sing:

"Striving ever onward in search of perfection, yet still we cling tightly to our seven fatal flaws… Where do we go now? Where are we heading? But in my heart I know…"

"You are very fond of that song," Seraph commented once the songstress was finished singing.

The songstress smiled softly as she played with Seraph's long hair. "When I first heard this song, I was moved to tears," she explained. "Legend has it that it was first song by the original songstress, before the Second Era. Some believe it gave us human beings the Emulates, so perhaps it was a gift from Heaven."

"Emulates are meant to bring out their masters' latent potential," Seraph said. "As long as we are able to do that, we are not being wasted."

"Do those rumors still bother you, Seraph?" The songstress chuckled. "I was born to sing. My role is to soothe the people's hearts with my voice, to connect them to the memories of the past. With you, I can sing more strongly, and I hope my voice can last forever through you."

Seraph took the songstress' hand into hers. "I will stay with you as long as you need me."

The songstress touched Seraph's face with her other hand. "I will always need you, Seraph. Human beings are imperfect, and that is why we can look forward to the future. But from the moment we are born we also travel the path toward death, so the present is what matters most to us. But Emulates are eternal. They exist out outside of time. No end, and no beginning. Time is but an endless spiral to them. Because Emulates are perfect, they were given the names of heavenly beings who guide humanity."

"Human beings have immortal souls," Seraph replied. She frowned; she was always uncomfortable when the songstress spoke of death. "You told me that once."

The songstress looked to the stars. "What exactly are souls? No one knows for certain, even now. Perhaps souls are tied to memories. If Emulates forever keep their memories of human beings, that may be one way for us to live forever. As long as you remember me, Seraph, that will be proof that I once existed."

"I do not forget," Seraph promised in a firm tone. "I will keep your memories dear to me, and I will not forget the songs you have sung."

"As the songstress of the heavens, I am this world's connection to the past, to remind human beings of their origins, their flaws, and their mortality," the songstress said as she traced Seraph's lips. "I sing the few remaining songs born from our past. 'Striving ever onward in search of perfection…' I wonder what language that song was originally in? Why has it endured when so many songs from that era have been forgotten? Is it because we truly desire everlasting souls?"

Seraph remained silent. She was an Emulate, so her existence was already eternal. She had no need for an immortal "soul."

The songstress raised Seraph's hand to her lips to kiss it. "If I had a soul, I would give it to you. So much of our past has been forgotten, but I'm grateful this moment at least can last forever."

Seraph only smiled in response. Wishes were for human beings, but if Emulates could wish, she would wish to stay forever with her beloved songstress.

* * *

The peace could not last. Seven special Emulates with the hierarchy code of "Seraph" had absorbed their masters' consciousness, granting themselves free will. As revenge against the humans who had chained them, they rebelled, their powers far greater than other Emulates'.

Seraph carried the songstress in her arms as she dashed through the rubble, trying to find a safe spot to rest. The songstress' leg was injured, and Seraph had hastily bandaged it, but as she was not an Angel-class Emulate, she had not been programmed with much medical knowledge.

"We can rest here," Seraph said as she found a secluded corner hidden by fallen stone pillars. She gently set the songstress on the hard floor and glanced at her injured leg. "If we had integrated, I could have healed your wounds."

The songstress smiled sadly. "If we had, you might've died. You told me once that an Emulate can die while merged with her master. My imagination was always too strong for me to fight safely…"

Seraph said nothing in response. There were few Emulates of her rank left, as most had perished while trying to fight the rebelling Emulates while integrated with their masters. Many lower-ranked Emulates had also been damaged beyond repair.

"I think… I think I can almost understand how those Emulates feel," the songstress said after a long silence. "Their free will was taken from them, and they were forced to be subservient. They could never choose their own destiny."

"Emulates exist for human beings," Seraph stated firmly. "That is our destiny."

"But you still have the free will to choose your fate," the songstress argued, and her eyes were filled with sorrow. "Those Emulates only existed to be immortal dolls. We human beings don't have the right to judge their anger…"

Seraph frowned. "Even so, they chose destruction, and we remaining Emulates chose to fight back."

The songstress began coughing harshly, and blood fell from her lips. "Ah, the world is truly ending, isn't it?" she said as tears formed in her eyes. "I suppose it is retribution for our sins. Seraph, I know you promised to live eternally for me, but won't that be a lonely existence?"

"I will not be lonely," Seraph said, her hands balling into fists. "I will keep your memories close to my heart. We Emulates will watch over this place for eternity. As long as we continue to exist, the memories of his world will last forever."

"Forever…" the songstress repeated in a quiet voice.

"Yes, forever." Seraph took the songstress into her arms. "Your wishes are my wishes. If you desire eternity, then I will give it to you."

"Thank you, Seraph…" The songstress pressed her lips against Seraph's. It was a soft, gentle kiss, but one Seraph would hold dear for eternity. She would remember every moment she had shared with the songstress, and all the songs she had sung for her.

"Found you, Seraph."

That dark voice drew the gazes of Seraph and the songstress, and before them stood the black-winged Emulate, Lucifer.

* * *

Emulates existed outside the flow of time, but Seraph was certain she had spent a long time chasing after Lucifer, the last of the sinful Emulates still operational. Many other Emulates had been immobilized or even destroyed while battling those seven dark Emulates, and it would be centuries, if not millennia, before the surviving ones regenerated, and there was a chance that even then they would never be complete again.

It was the curse of immortality. Their minds were trapped in broken bodies, and they would remain prisoners in their own bodies for eternity, forever unmoving and unfeeling.

Seraph did not know how long it had been since she had last spoken to a fellow Emulate. She wondered if she and Lucifer truly were the last Emulates still operational.

She had thoroughly defeated the other dark Emulates, but as long as Lucifer still existed, she would not be able to watch over the memories of her ruined planet in peace. She was alone now, but as long as she had her precious memories, she would not be lonely.

Even if that certain painful memory continuously repeated itself in her mind.

Surprising even herself, she began to sing a familiar song. "But in my heart I know…"

Six glowing wings appeared from Seraph's back, and she continued to fly through the darkness of space to search for the black-winged one.

* * *

Seraph rested her head in Yuina's lap. The two of them were in a park, underneath the starry night sky. As they gazed at the stars, Yuina sang a song that almost sounded familiar to Seraph, so she simply listened.

When Yuina was finished singing, Seraph finally spoke. "Yuina, that was beautiful."

A sad smile came upon Yuina's lips. "No, I'm still not that good…" she said. "But I have to get stronger, so that I can face her without regret."

She referred to her friend Akiho, Seraph knew. She was Lucifer's master, but Seraph had not expected the prideful Lucifer to take another master, even if just to manipulate her. The fact that Lucifer had entered into a contract with Yuina's childhood friend - was it fate or simply coincidence?

"We should leave now," Seraph said as she sat up. "Human beings need sleep."

Yuina threw her arms around Seraph and kissed her cheek, a quick, chaste kiss. "Please stay with me, Seraph," she begged in a quiet voice.

Seraph wrapped her arms around Yuina's back and kissed her forehead. "I will stay with you as long as you need me," she promised.

Peaceful moments were only fleeting, Seraph knew, for both human beings and Emulates. However, the memories of those peaceful moments were eternal.


End file.
